The present invention relates to cleaners for conveyor belts and the like, and in particular to a conforming scraper arrangement therefor.
Cleaners for conveyors are generally well-known in the art, and are typically used to remove debris and other similar materials from various forms of material conveying systems, such as conveyor belts, and the like. Some types of belt cleaners employ a blade to scrape the debris from the belt adjacent the upstream end of its return side, so as to improve transport efficiency and to simplify debris collection and removal. Examples of such scraper mechanisms are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,189,046; 4,402,394 and 4,936,439, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
In many heavy duty commercial installations, such as at coal mines, rock quarries, etc., the debris from the conveyed material is quite abrasive, thereby causing the scraper blades to wear very quickly. Also, since a majority of the debris on heavy duty conveyor belts collects in the center portion of the belt, the scraper blades tend to wear unevenly, with the center portion of the scraper blade typically wearing much more rapidly than the end portions of the scraper blade. These factors often result in poor cleaning performance, since scraper contact with the belt is non-uniform, and a significant maintenance problem is created, insofar as worn blades must be constantly replaced, sometimes under very difficult circumstances, such as in underground mines.